Steve D

As I've been promising, this new thread follows on very quickly from the MTB, it is intended as a companion model and will cover the larger BPB boat before the addition of torpedo tubes. I've been working on the drawings while competing the MTB and so here we are ready to start building. For those who are not familiar with the type, this illustration from the Osprey British Motor gunboat publication gives a great idea of what the model should end up looking like I've managed to source about 10 high quality images of this class on-line, here are a couple of the better ones, MGB 75 and MGB 107 I've searched hard but can't find any commercially available model drawing sets, but the Haynes workshop manual featuring MGB81, the historic preserved MGB, is a great source of information and contains two extremely good drawing sheets that scale rather well and provide accurate lines. I've been able to scan, re-align and re-scale these and had them printed as A1 pdf's. They are based on drawings held by the IWM archive and to my delight, a number of the builder's drawings have been scanned and are available to purchase as art prints. Screen grabs of these provide useful back-up information and additional detail which is great. As It seems a shame that commercial model drawings are not available, this time, I really intended to completed a model markers set of plans that others could use. I'll make these available at both 1:48th scale and 1:72nd scale, more on that at the end of the build. The model will be 18 inches long, a nice size to work with. Here are some of the refence material I'll be using, the pdf reproduction of the Haynes drawings included below I'm not sure I should post a copy of the Haynes manual drawings here, but as a teaser, here is one of the IWM art prints you can buy (full size copies of original drawings, would look great framed) So, overall I'm happy there is enough detail for me to build a decent model of these vessels, one of the key criteria for me to start a project. If you are wondering why I've included the Anatomy of the ship Fairmile D book, it actually has the best drawings of the twin Oerlikon power turret which was shared with the dog boats. The Vickers 2prd turret on the bow is identical to that fitted on the SGB so I've already built one of those and have the etching drawings of the mount, the props look the same (as far as I'm concerned) as the MTB, I have a 3d model of Holman projector and the right smoke machine so this should be easy eh... I didn't have a drawing of the twin Oerlikon, but I do now This, together with the 2 pdr and the props are being cast by Shapeways and should be here in a couple of weeks, the guns in brass and the props in bronze, £80 for all 5 pieces inc shipping. So, progress to date, I've re-drawn the times and checked the gunwale, and chine alignments, that Haynes manual drawing is really good.. The whaleback deckhouse was slightly off, but I used the IWM construction drawing to correct it, think I have it right. Here is my outline lines drawing, the starting place for the frame drawing. On interesting point is the outer rudders are angled at @10 degrees to the vertical, that's a little challenge to get right. For this hull, I'm reverting to balsa infill hull construction which is then covered in diagonal planking. The MTB wasn't a great success in my mind as the inner curvature of the lower hull really didn't work well because the planking had no intermediate support. Also, the simple balsa infill I used on the S-boote actually leaves you able to see the frames in some lights which is bad. This combination approach should solve both these issues, it is what I used on the Fairmile B but that all happened before I started posting so I'll cover this in full detail here. This sectional drawing shows how the hull and deck house will be constructed. The deck-house top box stringers are deliberately composite as they curve in 2 directions and a single piece of wood would be too stiff and might actually warp the hull. The chine stringer is horizontal to allow the balsa blocks to be slid in, I'll show all this in the build. The vertical slot in this frame at the top is there to receive the open bridge side piece which connects frame 6 and 7. Frame 6 was moved forward a small amount to form the forward bulkhead of the open bridge, details details.... A new thing I'm trying on this project is the two locking bars, we'll see if they work. As I've said before, bent hulls are not good and using 1.6 mm ply for a keel is easily bent by the gluing process. Before I've dropped the deck-house into an open box structure on the lower hull and this box helps keep everything straight. With this whale-back deckhouse which curves in 3 dimensions, that isn't possible (well anything is possible, its just not easy) so I've drawn two side bars in the plan which will (I hope) slot through all the frames and then slide towards the keel to lock them and the frames in place to make sure it is all straight. Stick with me and you see what I mean From the lines above, each frame then needs splitting out, re-drawn to allow for the outer planking and the slots set in for the longitudinal timbers. The result is the following cutting plan, locking side bars at the bottom This was then turned into cutting artwork (colour changes and re-grouping) for cutting from a 1 ft x 2ft sheet of 1.6 mm ply (I just love mixing units, keeps the brain active...). 2 days later, this arrived in the post from 4D for a very reasonable £55, I'm getting so lazy in my old age...🧑‍🦼 Add some balsa from SLEC and strip-wood from Cornwall Model boats and you have a wooden hull kit in the making The outer planking will be done in pear wood, it will look fantastic and be such a shame to paint it... Build starts tomorrow Cheers Steve

Nice job Jon, I love the look of these vessels, good to see her at sea Cheers Steve

Politics .... Hope to see more progress on the hull soon Cheers Steve

It certainly is different Rob, and getting those diagonal lines to line up when perfectly amidships was interesting. Ever since I saw that picture of a Danbuoy being launched from a Flower, I had to find a reason to make one. Seeing them aboard the MTB's synched that That's all I'm aiming for Steve, trying to get the model to look in period, its a never ending journey The joys of scratch-building John, as you know, all the detail (and errors) are your own. The daft detail (like how many handwheels the smoke machine had) are the things I love. BTW, the answer is three but I managed to knock one off So, give up with kits, the sense of freedom is amazing. Unshackled, make can whatever you can find enough detail on 👍 People seem to spend more time making kits because they change them to get stuff right or add detail. Personally, I think starting from scratch is actually easier Thanks Richard, finally being retired is certainly a help when it comes to speed Thank you all for the likes, I'm glad my little project was interesting. Cheers Steve

That's right Brian, the pre-war ones had Italian engines, but they naturally could not be sourced after the war started so we had to make do with US built Packard marine engines which were not as powerful and chipped the speed somewhat Cheers Steve

Thanks Steve, I seem set on a path of reconstructing examples of all WW2's coastal forces Cheers David, with all models there are things we like and things we don't like so much, and to me, the thing I like most this time is that you can just see the diagonal planking, as you can in the real boats, in particular once they have been at sea for a time. I'm also happy with the torpedo chutes in the timber hul. That was not great on the Schnellboote, (pigs ear emoji) way too much filler needed. I took a lot more time and care in the drawing on this one and it paid off Thanks Jeff, I never quite know when to stop with the clutter, but study actual deck pictures and you never see a clean sweep in wartime, kits are all too clean imho. I also love adding little things like the buckets, almost a signature of mine Cheers Beefy, that's a bit of a back-handed compliment given the larger scale should be better, however, I know what you mean. As I said in the build thread, I had a bit of a disaster with the weathering meaning more repainting than I wanted. This has given a thickness to the finish that is very far from perfect. I promise to get better at this stage of the build process.... More practice needed, we never stop learning Cheers Paul, actually so am I, I have some exciting things to talk about next time, first post coming very soon I appreciate the comment Kev, though personally, the SGB is still my favourite Thanks Brian, that is always my aim and who knows, maybe one day some will end up there Thanks again guys for all the likes and comments, I just try to do the best my now very clumsy fingers allow Cheers Steve

Following on from my build thread (Vosper build thread), here are a few pictures of the completed model MTB 34 was one of the first batch of 70ft MTB's built by Vosper's as part of the 1939 contract, completed in August 1940. She was converted to a target tug (CT23) in 1943 and sold in 1945. The drawings for the project were taken from the 1991 Model Shipwright plan and John Lambert's plan for marine Modelling international. In addition, details were confirmed from the IWM builders drawing that both these plans seem to be based upon. All rescaled to 1:48th scale and re-drawn. The colour scheme shows her with the 4th MTB flotilla based at HMS Beehive in Felixstowe in 1941 with very distinctive blue (B15) and white bands as illustriated in Coastal Craft History Vol 1 Below is that actual vessel at speed and the colour artwork from the Coastal Craft book. The torpedo chute bands are indicative of a senior officer in command The hull of the model is timber on ply frames, diagonal planked as per full-scale practice, the rest is a combination of brass, wood and some 3d printed items. The model has no commercial components, though the props were cast in bronze by Shapeways to my drawings She is shown weathered, not pristine, mounted on turned brass pillars and an oak base. A single crewman walks the deck to help people understand the scale and she carries a rigged danbuoy on the port side Here she is next to my last model, a Schnellboote to the same scale, for size comparison showing how relatively diminutive these vessels were Thanks to those who followed the build thread, I hope it was interesting and informative. I'll be back very soon with a new thread Cheers Steve

This is a very special project David, well done

Woah, I am so never mentioning paint colours again...

Very tidy indeed Rob, well done sir!

Frustrating that I can't remember the reference I read which clearly stated the SGB's were given a special scheme, still glad people are confident re the blue tones Cheers Steve

Hi Jon, I can't get my head around these tiny scales I'm afraid, but please check out my build and RFI threads for Grey Fox for additional detail @ 1:48th scale. Like you I opted for greys but later read (I can't recall where) that the SGN's were given their own special colour scheme of greens and this seems to be born out by Malcolm Wright in his book on WW2 Warship Camouflage However, your scheme certainly aligns well with this painting of Grey Goose So, as ever, who really knows. I just thought I'd bring up the green option for anyone else considering this subject, if I known, I would have opted for that unusual scheme Great little model. If you need any information, I did a ton of research and have dozens of pictures and drawings, always happy to help Cheers Steve

Thanks Pascal, that was my hope to help others in this branch of marine modelling. I'm in awe of your CAD work btw Thanks Stuart, I think you will approve, it will be a British Power Boat MGB, modelled before they added torpedo tubes. The drawings are well underway, thread should start next week

Cheers Jeff, appreciate the clarification on the rope coils. In my defence (I do like a well coiled rope) as it will be mounted on pillars, no one can say whether its underway or in harbour... Thanks Paul, I bumble along for my own amusement and the challenge, rewarding to see my efforts are appreciated by this community 👍

Thanks, crew on shore-leave until the RFI post 👍 That's exactly what this is about Jack, inspiring people to leave kits (and plastic) behind and go back to old-school modelling. OK, with some help these days from 3D printers before anyone points out how much I cheat these days

From what I know, they just lay on the deck, wet rope is actually really heavy and hard to shift. I also know that rope can get washed overboard... However, the coiled ropes you see in pictures are (I believe) mostly done in harbour to prevent people tripping and (possibly) to show off Thanks for your vocal interest through the build Cheers Steve

All things come to an end, as so does this thread. The model is basically complete now, just the figure to add and that will be shown in the RFI thread shortly. Meanwhile, the final update. First the hand-painted ensign, hanging to dry after soaking in weak PVA to set the shape. The little hand-vice is prefect for gripping and adding weight to the bottom corner. This is a 2ft x 4ft ensign, the smallest I've painted, my new 7 inch magnifying lamp was very useful here Here it is on the short gaff (right term?) at the mast-head bit out of focus The aerials were made from heavy EZ line, with insulators at each end from fishing line shot weights. Important to feed the aerial down to the radio set. The handrails were run from satin silver "Soft Touch" very fine premium flex 7 stranded wire (0.010" dia.). Anchored using 0.8mm thin wall brass tube squashed and painted aluminium. A couple of buckets are seen on the deck along with a few rope coils (can't have too much rope). Nestling behind on of the midships cowl vents is the Vickers twin tub gun canvas cover, folded up. The sea ladder is left in the top Carley float and of course that Dan-buoy with its rigging is stowed on the port stern deck. Algae is growing on the waterline and a hint of diagonal planking is discernible on the hull sides The boat hooks are in the forecastle rack and some rope stands by the anchor, the Lewis guns are ready to fire, but someone's coiled the mooring ropes nicely fore and aft Overall, she needs a good wash down when time and the war permits Thanks for following alone once again, I hope it was helpful to any wishing to embark on wood and metal construction. Apart from a few links of chain, this one is all scratch built for a total cost around £250, plus the case of course It will be back is a RFI thread once I've sorted the case and mounting. I will be back shortly with a companion thread on a British Powerboat Company 70ft MGB (before torpedo tubes were added). Gives me a chance to made a twin Oelikon turret mounting Cheers Steve

First class job Enjoy the skiing ⛷️ Cheers Steve

Happy with this level of weathering (finally!!) One coat of matt varnish, new decals (the others were sanded off) and a lot of fussy work that can't be seen on this picture. Flag, rigging, aerials and some deck clutter (rope, buckets etc) to go, plus my single crewman to help people understand the scale. Out picking up the case tomorrow so not much time for progress, final update with more pictures on Friday Thanks for following along Cheers Steve

I agree the surface is not there yet, Barrage balloons had a smoother shinier surface I think, vs this picture I wouldn't be afraid to try a little metallic aluminium, it may help Difficult subject Rob, coming together very nicely Cheers Steve

I'm still considering the paint and weathering so I'd thought I'd finish off the danbuoy. This picture clearly shows danbuoys being shipped on the port side of the rear deck, a detail too good to miss out I decided to paint it according to this image (I believe this is a flower class escort), great colour scheme, For colours I found a picture of a WW2 danbuoy flag in an on-line auction that was white/yellow/red stripes so I'm guessing these are the colours in this B&W photo For rigging I used this illustration for an admiralty manual of seamanship Vol 1, this copy is post-war and the paint pattern is different, but the rigging makes sense and matches what can be seen in the picture above They were carried ready rigged for immediate use as close examination of the first picture shows. So, here is my attempt and reproduction, the rope will be coiled up and tidy when installed on deck but I left it open here to show I've rigged it correctly (flag and anchor not attached) I love these little details Cheers Steve

Ha, Dirk, you are correct of course . However, that's just an accident of the way I twisted the wheel (possibly because I'm also left-handed....) Didn't think it through I appreciate your clarification, I'll do better in future Cheers Steve

Absolutely...

Rob, It's nice of you to say so, but trust me, up close it was not good enough. I hate painting, not enough practice. I'm never really happy with the end result, but this one was too bad for me to stand. The pictures flattered it. I will plough on once I can get back to it and hopefully find a compromise feels OK. I keep saying, the model has to have a sense of realism, hard to describe but I know you and others here know what I mean. This is a sense you get when looking at the model and it should get better the closer you look, even to the point of using a magnifying glass. We can agree on that point Dmitiry, I HATE knots, minimum rigging is an essential prerequisite for me in a choice of subject Cheers Steve